Question

For a pharmacist dispensing pills or capsules, it is often easier to weigh the medication to be dispensed than to count the individual pills. If a single antibiotic capsule weighs \(0.65 \mathrm{~g}\), and a pharmacist weighs out \(15.6 \mathrm{~g}\) of capsules, how many capsules have been dispensed?

Short answer

The pharmacist has dispensed approximately 24 antibiotic capsules, rounding to the nearest capsule since we cannot have a fraction of a capsule.

Step-by-step solution

Write down the given information

We are given the following information: - Weight of a single antibiotic capsule: \(0.65 \mathrm{~g}\) - Total weight of capsules: \(15.6 \mathrm{~g}\)

Set up the equation to find the number of capsules

Let x be the number of capsules dispensed. We can set up the equation as follows: \(0.65x = 15.6\)

Solve the equation for x

In order to solve for x, we will divide both sides by 0.65: \(x = \frac{15.6}{0.65}\)

Calculate the number of capsules

Now, we can calculate the value of x: \(x = \frac{15.6}{0.65} \approx 24\)

Conclude the answer

The pharmacist has dispensed approximately 24 antibiotic capsules, rounding to the nearest capsule since we cannot have a fraction of a capsule.